industrial design

Wally Supercar Concept for the Superyacht Set

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Luxury Cars & Autos

Monaco-based boatbuilder Wally, known for its avant-garde yacht designs, is responsible for some of the most eye-catching craft plying the waters. As we reported last year they also make some of the world's coolest high-performance skis. Now Matthew Hockham, an automotive design graduate of the UK's Coventry University, has come up with a Wally supercar concept inspired by both of the company's passions. Hockham's brief was to take Wally's distinctive design language and apply it to a suitably high-end and high-tech automotive concept. "The aim is to bring the essence of Wally onto the land and offer an exclusive user experience," he tells Car Body Design. Hockham's design uses Wally's trademark futuristic form language with sharp edges, black glass surfaces and hi-tech gray tones. The side profile was inspired by the lines of the stunning 118 WallyPower yacht. The interior makes extensive use of carbon fiber and teak, two materials used widely by Wally, and the elongated chassis is especially designed to transport a pair of Wally carbon fiber skis.

Gallery: Wally Supercar Concept

Tags: car design, carbon fiber, concept car, design, industrial design, Monaco, skis, supercar, teak, UK, Wally, yacht

Design Genius Dyson Restores Classic Steam Yacht

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Wealth

The name James Dyson, the British industrial designer who re-invented the vacuum cleaner, is synonymous with cutting-edge technology. When it comes to yachts, however, the brilliant billionaire apparently prefers the classics. Dyson has just spent millions refurbishing a stunning 1930 steam yacht with an impressive pedigree, which has just been relaunched. The 300 ft. long Nahlin (above) designed by G.L. Watson was originally built for a British heiress and was later owned by the Romanian Royal Family. She was also chartered in the 1930s by England's King Edward VIII and was for a time the setting of his controversial romance with Wallis Simpson which led to his abdication and the couple's becoming the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Discovered some years back operating as a dilapidated floating restaurant on the Danube, she caught Dyson's eye via yacht broker Nicholas Edmiston who brought the ship back to the UK. With help from the G.L. Watson archives, the yacht was completely restored and refitted at Blohm + Voss in Germany (builders of Roman Abramovich's Eclipse) with new diesel engines and period-correct paneling and moldings.

[via JamesList]

Tags: billionaire, Blohm + Voss, designer, Duchess of Windsor, Duke of Windsor, industrial design, inventor, King Edward VIII, royalty, UK, vacuum cleaner

USM Swiss Furniture To Launch Fall Line

by Michael B. Dougherty (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, By Design

Lauded Swiss furniture manufacturer, USM, has announced a new fall collection to their award-winning modular designs.

Created in 1963, when Swiss engineer Paul Schärer teamed up with architect Fritz Haller to design furniture for his family business's new offices, USM's modernist lines and functionality made it an unexpected darling of Mid-Century design. Now part of the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection in New York, USM has evolved into a furniture system of near limitless possibility, equally at home in an office, retail or residential setting. While the term "modular" may evoke images of dorm rooms and a certain ubiquitous Swedish brand, USM is much closer to a Patek Philippe watch or a Hans Bellmann chair in terms of aesthetics and construction. The basic element of USM is a chrome-plated brass ball joint, which connects to chromed steal tubes to form the framework of the line. From there, powder-coated metal panels, in a variety of historic and contemporary colors, can easily and quickly be popped in and out to complete the piece. Panels come in a wide selection of sizes, and when you include the various door options and internal organizer configurations, the possibilities with USM become manifold. Indeed, USM enthusiasts (the line is collected with the zeal normally reserved for high fashion or fine art) have created arrangements that form everything from retail clothing displays to Mondrian-like storage walls by mixing-and-matching color panels. New for fall 2010, USM will introduce a line of autumnal colors including orange, brown and beige, which haven't been available to customers since the 1970s.

(prices start at $500)

Tags: fall, furniture, Industrial Design, mid-century modern, modular, switzerland, usm

Calling All Water Babies: the Arkki Solar Yacht

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

Surviving apocalyptic scenarios always seems to mean fetid basements, a smoke-filled skies, canned food and cannibalism. But say the end of the world comes, Noah-like, with a land-engulfing flood. In that case, a kinder, gentler Apocalypse requires a kinder, gentler solution, the possibilities for which have been envisioned for you by Janne Leppänen's ARKKI solar boat.

The ARKKI is a trimaran featuring a concrete-and-natural-fiber hull enclosing 1,647 square feet of interior space, topped with a solar-panel-and-wood deck of 1,076 square feet. Solar panels adorning the deck are absorbent enough to power the entire yacht even in winter and allow a cruising speed of up to eight knots. It won't fit two of every animal, but come to think of it, that might make it better should you need to spend a few years on the water.

[via Gizmodo]

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Tags: apocalypse, boat, concept, concept yacht, industrial design, trimaran, yacht

Electronic Hermès Agenda Concept

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

French industrial designer Alexandre Fourn has come up with an amazing electronic Hermès agenda concept that could herald a new age of luxury goods. The Hermès Contre-Temps employs futuristic flexible OLED touchscreen and e-paper technology to expand from a pocket-sized device to a full-size diary when needed. It features all the bells and whistles of an iPhone including an electronic organizer, photo sharing, email, GPS, an RSS reader and more. It even has signature Hermès saddle-stitched orange leather inserts. Hermès should definitely hire this guy.

Tags: agenda, Alexandre Fourn, AlexandreFourn, concept, electronics, Hermes, industrial design, IndustrialDesign

Green Designers Win National Award for Mobile

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Green

Sustainable design company Contexture was recognized at this week's 2008 Design Exchange Awards for its handmade hanging mobile, As the Crow Flies, a dangling family of laser-cut crows.

Crafted from 30% post-recycled paper and found roadmaps, the mobile landed top honors in the Industrial Design category. It's also likely to be a popular gift among the I-don't-want-a-nursery-full-of-pink-puppies parenting set.

The mobile retails for just $49 (free shipping!) and is available through Contexture, the Vancouver-based partnership of Nathan Lee and Trevor Coghill, already well known for their reclaimed-material Coffee Cuffs and 45 iPod Cases.

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Tags: as the crow flies, AsTheCrowFlies, contexture, industrial design, IndustrialDesign, sustainable design, SustainableDesign